Deepfakes are images, videos or voices created or manipulated using artificial intelligence that appear so real that even professionals have trouble recognizing them right away. Some people, like the pope in his white puffer jacket are a laughing matter; others are not. For example, when someone is blackmailed with a deepfake video in which they are allegedly seen masturbating or when students share doctored nude photos of female classmates on social media.
Until recently, celebrities were the main victims of deepfakes. But now it can happen to anyone, because professional deepfakes are becoming easier and easier to create “thanks” to AI. A photo from LinkedIn, a screenshot of an Instagram timeline or a video call – combined with a little AI know-how – is all it takes to generate or manipulate compromising images, text or voice messages.
Such content is often created to humiliate someone, damage his or her reputation or blackmail the victim. Deepfake pornography is particularly common, in which the victim's face and voice are superimposed onto a sex video or the victim's face is superimposed onto nude images. The perpetrators' motives range from boredom to revenge following a breakup or rejection, to greed. Many doctored images and videos are used for sextortion or sexual blackmail. The perpetrator(s) threaten the victim with sending the images or videos to their partner, family or employer or sharing them on social media. They exploit the shame of their victims – who are often women – and social pressure to extort money or (usually) sexual favors.
Important: Deepfakes are used not only for sextortion, but also to deceive third parties – for example, with a manipulated voice message. For example, the perpetrators pose as supervisors or trusted individuals in order to swindle money or sensitive information out of people.
In addition to professional and financial harm, deepfakes cause, above all, personal and emotional harm. The question of whether an image or video is real is often only a secondary concern. For the victims, their fear and shame of public humiliation, damage to their reputation and a loss of trust among friends or colleagues weigh more heavily. What makes this particularly troubling is that the internet never forgets and debunked deepfakes cannot always be deleted.
Often, the identification of an AI fake comes too late: The damage has been done; the victim feels ashamed and helpless and withdraws.
In addition to personal and emotional harm, there is often significant financial damage resulting from fraud, extortion or identity theft – as well as potential consequential costs such as reduced career opportunities and, consequently, lower pay due to the loss of reputation caused by a manipulated image or video.
Victims should act immediately, but not panic. The perpetrators count on their victims feeling ashamed and afraid and therefore complying with their demands under time pressure. Keep a cool head if you're being blackmailed and proceed systematically:
There's no such thing as 100% security. But you can significantly reduce the risk: The fewer photos, videos and pieces of information you post about yourself online, the lower the risk. However, since it is virtually impossible these days to limit one's digital visibility to such an extent, it is important to handle one's own data responsibly and to develop media literacy:
Switzerland does not yet have a law specifically addressing deepfakes. Nevertheless, the victims can fight back. For example, anyone whose personality rights are violated by AI-generated audio recordings, images or videos may invoke the protection of personality rights under Article 28 of the Swiss Civil Code and sue for deletion, an injunction and, in serious cases, damages and compensation for emotional distress. And if criminal offenses such as fraud, defamation, extortion, identity theft or pornography have been committed, the victims can file a criminal complaint for violation of data protection law.
Private legal protection insurance from Orion helps you assert your rights. For example, if you want to enforce the removal of deepfake content, file an injunction, file a criminal complaint or take civil action against the perpetrators. When the going gets tough, legal protection insurance covers the costs of the attorney, the court proceedings and all expert opinions in accordance with the general conditions of insurance. This support is a great relief for the victim, especially in cases of cyberbullying, defamation or sextortion.
Zurich's cyber protection insurance supports victims, for example, if their accounts have been hacked, their digital identity has been stolen or their data has been misused. It provides immediate technical assistance and helps restore the affected accounts.
But there's no need to panic. You can reduce your risk and maximize your protection with cyber protection and personal legal protection insurance.
